Leverage lets you control a large position with a small amount of your own money. It's marketed as opportunity. It's more useful to think of it as a multiplier on your mistakes.
A worked example
Say you have $1,000 and trade a position worth $30,000 — that's 30:1 leverage.
- The market moves 1% in your favour: you make $300, a 30% gain on your $1,000. Great.
- The market moves 1% against you: you lose $300, a 30% loss.
- The market moves 3.3% against you: your $1,000 is gone. Position liquidated.
Currencies and indices can move 1% in a single session without anything dramatic happening. At 500:1 leverage — which some offshore brokers advertise — a 0.2% move wipes you out.
Why the regulated caps exist
The EU, UK and Australia cap retail CFD leverage at 30:1 (and lower for more volatile assets) for exactly this reason. It isn't the regulator being cautious for the sake of it — it's a response to data showing the large majority of retail accounts lose money. Higher leverage didn't help those traders; it accelerated their losses.
Margin calls and liquidation
When your losses eat into the margin supporting your position, the broker issues a margin call — deposit more, now — or closes your position automatically. This tends to happen at the worst possible moment, locking in the loss right before any recovery.
The honest takeaway
Use the lowest leverage that lets you trade your plan, not the highest your broker offers. If a platform's main selling point is extreme leverage, that's a reason for caution, not excitement. Most retail traders who use high leverage lose money — often quickly.